• by Tobi Elkin  @tobielkin, May 3, 2016

Engagement with branded content on smartphones is significantly higher than on desktop or tablet, according to Polar’s latest State of Branded Content Benchmarks and Insights report, released on Tuesday.

Showing an average click-through rate of 127% on smartphones, the research seems to indicate publishers should focus on a mobile-first approach to content design and experience to achieve deeper engagement.

More than 2,000 publisher sites, 6,200 campaigns and 46,000 branded content articles over the last year were analyzed for the report.

The data suggests publishers that partner with advertisers aligning closely with their core audience enjoy significantly greater reader engagement for branded content. "Publishers should use this data to differentiate in an increasingly competitive campaign renewal market by focusing attention on creating a ‘mobile-up’ approach to content," said Kunal Gupta, Polar's Founder and CEO, via email. "Likewise, the native ads [branded content ad units] must be mobile-optimized so that ads render extremely fast."

Other key findings in the report:  

• Average time spent (ATS) on smartphones was 63% higher than on desktop, an average of 119 seconds, compared to 73 seconds on desktop.
• Publishers in the financial sector far exceeded other verticals, with an ATS of 323 seconds.
• Publishers in the lifestyle, news and travel sectors had the weakest performance on ATS.
• Australians spend the most time reading branded content, followed by the British and Americans.